چکیده (انگلیسی):

The writing of lab reports is part and parcel of Chemistry in higher institutions around t he world,
with almost similar formats and procedures. This paper looks at the practice of writing lab reports
in Chemistry for two cohorts of the pre-university programme, as well as four cohorts of the first
and second years of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme. The study also compares lab reports
written by students in the respective courses to investigate the skills and knowledge obtained by
students, and the value of assessment marks given on students’ reports. The effectiveness of the lab
report in contributing to their knowledge during the final exam is also explored. Initial findings
showed that lab reports for undergraduate Pharmacy programme can become redundant with the
existence of the lab manual, hence questioning the validity of the assessment marks. All
experiments tested theories with generally known results which are explained in textbooks and/ or
on the Internet, which disputes the need of a lab report. Additionally, students found questions
reflecting higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy more difficult to handle, with an added challenge to
complete the Discussion section of the lab report, despite sufficient discussions and lectures. The
study ends with suggestions for alternative methods of writing lab reports – to restructure, revise
and improve.